‘Great Sphinx’ Found in Tabon Caves in Palawan

(PNA) — An American sailor claims to have found an ancient monumental sculpture, which he said appears to be thousands older than Egypt’s “Great Sphinx of Giza” in Tabon Cave in the municipality of Quezon, southern Palawan.

Philip Maise, a chemical engineer by profession, began exploring the archaeological site in 2013.

He called his find “The Great Sphinx of Palawan.” “It took two years to be sure I could prove The Great Sphinx of Palawan was man-made,” Maise wrote in his Facebook account.

Maise said he believes the sculpture was glued together using sandstone blocks with wet cement that hardened into a waterproof concrete.

He added that after sculpting, more cement was poured on top to protect the soft stone.

“Zoom in on the white sandstone and notice dark lines. That is concrete used to glue slabs together. It is grey because it contains volcanic ash that makes it strong and waterproof,” Maise said, comparing the formula that ancient Romans used “to waterproof” water delivery systems.

Maise took photos at low tide as most of the sculpture’ base is submerged during high tide. This fact, he suggests, indicates that it was made during the Ice Age some 8,000 years or older.

“Evidence in nearby Tabon Caves proves man has lived in Palawan for 50,000 years,” he said.

However, even if they (monumental sculptures) were made during the most recent Ice Age, they are still thousands of years older than Egypt’s Sphinx or pyramids,” he said.

Behind the sphinx, he said, is a 10-meter tall sculpted head – with nose, two eyes, lips and chin among other details – which is still in better condition.

Maise concludes a likely candidate that built these sculptures are seafaring people Saliendra, who were skilled stone carvers and frequently used sandstone.

This was backed up with the images he saw inside the tombs in Tabon, which he all likened to the characters in the Buddhist story “Journey to the West.”

He also found an image that looked like Manjushri, a bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom in Mahayana Buddhism.

Saliendras were noted as active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism in the ancient times when it emerged as an influential dynasty in 8th century Java.

“We know Java, Palawan’s main trading partner, became a Buddhist area and the practice migrated to Palawan,” Maise said in a text message.

Using his yacht, Maise will sail mid-August from Puerto Princesa to Tabon Cave in Quezon and down to Balabac to continue tracing the signs of ancient man.

He has an experience with excavation and also did course work in history, philosophy and art. Maise said he also brought the matter to the Palawan Heritage Center and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS), which implements R.A. 9072 or the “National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act.”

He also asked the PCSDS to “inspect the possible giant ancient sculpture and burial caves” and confirm its authenticity through carbon dating.

Maise, meanwhile, envisions to set-up an archaeology college focusing on Tabonolgy at the Holy Trinity University (HTU).

Tabonology is the study of the remains of Tabon man which were first discovered by American anthropologist Robert Fox in 1962. (PNA) CTB/CARF/KASF/EBP